3 . The Gusen Memorial today | Photo by Stephan
Matyus , Mauthausen Memorial
erected a memorial monument at the site . The so-named “ Gusen Memorial ,” inaugurated in 1965 , remains today the main commemorative site for Gusen survivors and the families of deportees from different parts of the world . The Austrian state finally took responsibility for the preservation of the memorial in 1997 .
In 2003 , a small visitor centre was added to the monument , where a permanent exhibition on the history of the camp was inaugurated in 2005 . In the early 2000s , the Republic of Austria also took responsibility for the remains of the “ Bergkristall ” galleries . A section of about 800 meters in length was technically equipped so that it can now be opened to visitors several days a year .
The Participatory Process
In recent years , the Republic of Austria has negotiated with private landowners linked to the concentration camps in Gusen . In 2021 / 22 , it finally acquired several plots in the area of the former Gusen I camp . Several buildings of special historical value are still preserved there , such as the two SS barracks , architectural remnants of the former formation square ( Appellplatz ) and the stone crusher . An agreement could not be reached with the owners of the former command centre , the “ Jourhaus ,” and the two prisoners ’ buildings . The Republic also acquired land in St . Georgen , where the main entrances to the “ Bergkristall ” tunnel system were originally located .
EUROPE INSIGHT
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